More on decision making
in Family Law
Decision-making responsibility is the right to make major decisions about how to care for and raise your child. Decision-making responsibility used to be called custody.
Decision-making responsibility is not about who your child lives with or how much time your child spends with each of you. The time that a child spends in the care of a parent is called parenting time.
Parenting time used to be called access for the parent who didn't have any decision-making responsibility.
For example, even if you have the right to make all the decisions about your child, your child might spend equal amounts of time with you and your partner. Or, your child might live mainly with you, but you and your partner share decision-making responsibility.
The parent with decision-making responsibility has the right to make important decisions about:
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education
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medical care
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religion
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important extra-curricular activities
Decision-making responsibility can be divided in a few ways:
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one parent has all the decision-making responsibility,
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2 or more parents have decision-making responsibility, or
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different parents are responsible for different areas. For example, one parent makes decisions about the child's health and another parent makes decisions about the child's religion.
Have questions? Contact us today to book an appointment and find out how we can assist you with getting the decision making and parenting arrangement that works for you.
Think about who should make decisions about your child
Think about what's best for your child and what kind of plan will work best for your family. Keep in mind how well you get along with your partner, and who should be responsible for making major decisions.
Decision-making responsibility used to be called custody. It means having the legal right to make major decisions about how to care for and raise your child. This includes important decisions about:
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education, like which school the child goes to
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medical care, like which doctor the child goes to
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religion, like whether the child follows a religion and which one
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important extra-curricular activities
Decision-making responsibility can be divided in a few ways:
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one parent has all the decision-making responsibility,
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2 or more parents have decision-making responsibility, or
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different parents are responsible for different areas. For example, one parent makes decisions about the child's health and another parent makes decisions about the child's religion.
If you and your partner have decided to share decision-making responsibility, one of you cannot make decisions without the other agreeing to it. This situation works best when parents share similar ideas about how to raise their child. It takes a lot of co-operation. You and your partner have to get along well and have similar ideas about what is best for your child. It usually doesn't work where there is a history of partner abuse.
If you and your partner don't get along, or have very different ideas on parenting, you may want to have all the decision-making responsibility. Sometimes, when one parent has the right to make all the decisions, they may choose to get the other parent's opinion. Or a court may order them to get the other parent's opinion. But, the parent with decision-making responsibility gets to make the final decision.
Have questions? Contact us today to book an appointment and find out how we can assist you with getting the decision making and parenting arrangement that works for you.